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United Artists Pictures
1982-2004 Nicknames: Turning UA, UA Paperclip, The Sad/Happy Music Logo: It starts with a whitish line against a black screen. The line then rotates at an extremely slow pace and reveals itself to be a silvery blue stylized "UA". The logo is in the shape of a "U'" with a bigger left side, and a diagonal line protruding from the shorter right side to form the "'A." When the symbol finishes turning around, the words "United Artists" appear under it in the same font that was used during the "Transamerica" era. Trivia: The logo was created and designed by Sandy Dvore (who also created the Lorimar 1971 "LP" logo). The "UA" was a wood model sprayed with chrome-like paint and suspended with a black rod covered in a velvet cloth to avoid reflection. The background was simply a black piece of paper. The model was then rotated on a small stage. Variants: # There is a rare variant which has the logo in white. It just zooms out from the left. # There was also a "Big Text" variant. This was spotted on a 1980's reissue print of the Spaghetti Western From Man to Man (a.k.a. Death Rides a Horse). # A black & white version was used on old UA & pre-1948 WB films in the said colors. FX/SFX: The "turning UA". Music/Sounds: A low sonic tone plays in the background, and as the logo turns around, a slow, somewhat somber five-note piano tune plays. When the "UA" is revealed and the words "United Artists" appear, they are accompanied by a short, swelling progression of violins immediately leading to an uplifting, dramatic 5-note orchestral conclusion. This theme was composed by Joe Harnell. Music/Sounds Variants: # A rare rearranged version of the music was heard on an unknown film. # A higher pitched version is used on many PAL releases, as well as on the 1987 American MGM/UA release of Yellow Submarine. # On a few films, such as the current print of Attack on the Iron Coast, it is silent. # On rare occasions, such as on Jinxed (not to be confused with the 2013 Nickelodeon TV movie of the same name) and older releases (including the 2001 DVD, Blu-Ray, and Hulu Prints) of They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!, the logo is accompanied by the films' respective opening theme (in the case of the latter, the logo is silent in the beginning. But when the "UA" is revealed, the film's opening cue plays; this plasters the original 1968 logo). # A lower pitched version is found on AMC's prints of Rocky III. Availability: Was prolific on video releases and cable during the 1980s, but it's scarce now. This logo was used to update its catalog and provide a visual branding presence in the process, especially considering that most pre-Transamerica UA films did not have a logo at the beginning. This plasters older logos on the CBS/FOX releases of The Spy Who Loved Me, The Black Stallion, Rocky, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, Goldfinger, and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, the Playhouse Video release of Apache, and the 1983 MGM/UA Home Video release of The Last Waltz. # Most 1980s UA releases were released with the MGM/UA lion logo (which still survives on some current prints). However, it can still be found on some '90s MGM/UA Home Video releases such as the early 1990s MGM/UA release of The Secret of NIMH (the logo has been restored on the 2007 DVD release of said film, however), along with the 1991 VHS of West Side Story. Also seen on UK prints of The Plague Dogs (the U.S. prints of this film have it replaced with the Embassy Pictures logo). Strangely appears on an VHS trailer for Teachers (on a 1986 Australian tape of American Flyers). Also, it plasters the 1st UA logo on a CBS/FOX release of Witness for the Prosecution, in which this logo is shown in B&W. # Also retained on current TV prints of The Thomas Crown Affair and Rocky III preceded by the 2001 MGM lion (the 2001 and 2004 DVDs also preserve it). Makes surprise appearances on Sleep with Me (1994) and Undertow (2004). Can also be seen on '80s prints of older 007 films, mainly on VHS and Laserdisc. The variant appeared on a video from Kyron Home Video in Colombia. (NOTE: In terms of packaging, this logo only appeared on British, European, Latin, African, Australian, Asian, and Japanese 1980's video releases of UA films from Warner Home Video. CBS/Fox video releases simply had the MGM/UA logo on the packaging. This was perhaps due to branding rights that were different overseas, especially since this logo only actually appeared on film on occasion). Scare Factor: Low to medium. This logo's nature and the surprising orchestra at the end may get to some, but it's mainly harmless. Same goes for the rearranged music. 1987-1994 Unitedartists 05.jpg|Midnight Cowboy (1969) with 1987 UA logo plastering Unitedartists 18.jpg|Version with MGM/UA byline, seen on Little Monsters (1989) Nickname: UA Swoosh Logo: Over a black background, we see a giant pattern of blue crystallized "UA's", styled like the 1st logo. The pattern smoothly merges together to form one minimum-sized "'UA" as it zooms out. A streak of light glides by to slash the "A'''", leaving spikes on the "A". Then "United Artists" fades in underneath and the logo shines. '''Trivia: This logo was animated by Rhythm & Hues in 1987. Appeared on their 1988 showreel. Variants: # In its early years, the MGM/UA Communications logo preceded this logo. In its later years, the logo would be by itself, starting from the point where the UA logo has already merged from the giant pattern, and the byline "An MGM/UA Communications Company" appears underneath. # A prototype version can be seen on The Living Daylights, one of the first films to use this logo. The print logo in blue zooms in, and then "United Artists" fades in below. # A black & white version was used on reissues of UA films in the said colors. # Occasionally, only the "swoosh" part of the animation is shown (with the MGM/UA Communications logo). This is seen on License to Kill, All Dogs Go to Heaven, and Rocky V, among others. # On the 1988 Rhythm & Hues showreel, the logo animates at a smoother rate. # There is a still version appears at the end of Pink Panther: A Pink Christmas. FX/SFX: The merging and zooming out of the logo and the slashing of the "A". CGI effects. Music/Sounds: A low bass sound, followed by a jet engine-like "swoosh" and a single note timed with the logo shining. Other times, it's silent. Music/Sounds Variants: On one early DVD print of Rocky, it uses the last half fanfare from the 1st logo, due to plastering error. Availability: Common. Although subject to plastering with the 1995 and 2001 logos, it is still fairly common on UA-released films of the period such as Baby Boom, Rain Man, and Rocky V to name a few. First appeared on The Living Daylights and it's made a final appearance of Son of The Pink Panther. It can also be found on the 1997 DVD of The Black Stallion, the MGM MOD DVD of Tomorrow Is Forever, the 2001 DVD of All Dogs Go to Heaven, License to Kill, and the 2008 DVD of Child's Play. This logo was often paired off with the popular MGM/UA Communications logo (which is sometimes cut off like on current prints of The Living Daylights and a 1993 MGM/UA Home Video print of Rocky), and both logos are thus regarded as favorites. However, the short variant seems slightly easier to find than the normal variant. Scare Factor: # None to minimal, because of the music. The logo was liked by many people. # Low to medium, because of the V of Doom-like zooming on a black background and retained music. 1994-2000 Unitedartists 09.jpg|1994-1997 Unitedartists 07.jpg|1997-2000 Nicknames: The Gathering Lights, The UA Gathering Lights, UA Shining Light, The Shining Lights, UA Marble Stone Logo: It starts with a couple dozen bright stars showering over. The backdrop is a dark-colored marble wall, which appears a few seconds later. The glittering stars glide over the screen causing the words, "UNITED ARTISTS" with "U" and "A" bigger than the rest of the letters, wiping in from the left. After this progression, two stars criss-cross each other's paths and fade away left and right underneath to reveal, in smaller text, the words, "PICTURES INC.", in spaced-out letters. As the logo completes, one big star goes against the "U" and flashes. Then it shines, a la the Torch Lady's torch shining. Trivia: This logo was used during and after United Artists' 75th Anniversary. Variants: # Starting in 1997, the words, "PICTURES INC." were changed into the byline, "AN MGM COMPANY", again in spaced-out letters. # A black & white version can be seen on B&W UA films. # There is a print closing version where the words "UNITED ARTISTS" are stacked and the shine is intact. FX/SFX: The glittering stars and the bright shining star. Cheesy Factor: Although this logo has modern computer effects, the logo looks like it was made in the 1940s, probably due to the old-looking fonts and the fact that this logo has no symbol, just text. Music/Sounds: Some tingling sounds followed by an orchestral tune, and ending with a rhythmic twinkling sound. On some movies such as The Birdcage and The Man in the Iron Mask (the 1998 movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio), it has the opening theme. Music/Sounds Variant: On the Starz print of Leaving Las Vegas, it uses the 2001 music. Availability: Not as common as it once was when it was the chief means of plastering during most of the 1990's and some of the 2000's. It is believed to be first seen in 1995 on Tank Girl, as Sleep with Me uses the 1982 logo, and The Fantasticks was an earlier 1995 film not released until 2000, so this is quite debatable. Also seen on some other movies like GoldenEye. It is also preserved on older MGM tapes and DVDs (an example being 12 Angry Men). On Blu-ray, this appeared on the 2014 release of Rocky. Scare Factor: None to minimal. This is an okay logo, but can get pretty annoying for those who are seeking older UA logos. 2000-2001 Nicknames: UA 2000, The New UA Paperclip, UA Paperclip 2 Logo: On a black screen, white streaks appear, streaking to form a new UA logo that looks similar to the 1982 and 1987 logos, except the logo is a little narrower and there are no streaks. The words "UNITED ARTISTS" come from both sides of the lower part of the screen and converge. The words "AN MGM COMPANY" soon fade in afterwards, where we later see a shining wipe effect on the UA logo. Trivia: # This on-screen rendition was ultimately a placeholder for the reintroduction and revitalization of the "UA Swoosh", which the revised print logo was already using during this time. # This logo is usually preceded by the current MGM Lion on older United Artists releases. Variant: There is a variant where the logo is zooming out from 1.78:1 to 2.35:1 scope. This was because the film was in scope but the MGM lion preceding was in "flat" aspect. FX/SFX: The streaks, the appearance of the logo, and the convergence of the words "UNITED ARTISTS". Music/Sounds: A short instrumental bed consisting of a drum beat, a synth harmony, and sounds of wind, with a short 4-note piano stinger at the end. On some films, it is silent or has the film's opening music playing over it. Availability: Rare, due to this logo being a placeholder. Can be seen on United Artists' limited output of this time before it became an in-name only subsidiary of MGM. Can be seen DVDs releases of The Black Stallion Returns, Juggernaut, and The Dogs of War. Scare Factor: None. 2001-2012 Unitedartists 14.jpg|2001-2007 Unitedartists 01.jpg|2007-2012 Nicknames: UA Swoosh 2001, UA 2001, The Silver Slices, Silver Spikes, The UA Swoosh Returns, UA Swoosh 2, Metallic UA Swoosh Logo: Essentially the same as the previous logo, except this one includes a metallic version of the "UA Swoosh" logo from 1987. Instead of the cross-indentations of the "A" being swooshed in this time around, they are "sliced" in by a light effect from left to right, one by one. There is also a URL for "www.unitedartists.com" underneath the company byline. Trivia: This logo also appears preceded by the current MGM lion on new prints of older United Artists releases. Variants: # From 2007-2010 and 2012, Sony and several other companies each took a stake in MGM. As a result, the logo was rendered bylineless from that point forward, even when MGM took back UA. There is also no URL. # At the end of Fame (2009) and Red Dawn (2012), a still version is used. # On Hot Tub Time Machine (2010), the logo is darker and different light effect of the word "United Artists" along given more enhanced. There is a lighter version of this logo, this was seen on 2008 Blu-ray & DVD of The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). FX/SFX: The streaks, the slicing effects, and the convergence of the words "UNITED ARTISTS". Music/Sounds: Same as above. On some films such as Valkyrie and Hot Tub Time Machine, it's silent or has the movie's opening theme playing over it. Music/Sounds Variants: # In an unusual variation that is likely an editing foul-up, the 2002 UK film 24 Hour Party People accompanies this logo with the theme music of Nando's Distribution, which had European distribution rights to the movie. This actually suits the logo well. # TCM's print of The Magic Sword has the second half of the 1982 logo fanfare playing over it. Quite possibly an editing error as well. # On some films, such as Fiddler on the Roof, Bananas, and local airings of Leaving Las Vegas, it uses the 1995 fanfare due to a plaster error. Availability: Common. It's seen on some new and recent films released by UA, including Jeepers Creepers, Ghost World, and Hot Tub Time Machine. This logo has now become the standard for plastering the Transamerica logos on most classic films, such as the James Bond films, and the Rocky films. It also appeared on the 2016 PBS broadcast of The Last Waltz. This logo hasn't been used since after the release of Red Dawn, as United Artists now operates in-name-only. Scare Factor: None. It's a good logo, but you'll probably get annoyed by how much time it appears plastering older logos, much like the 2001 MGM logo, which often precedes this logo. Category:Movie Section